1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for positioning and feeding a workpiece into a cutting surface. More specifically the present invention relates to an attachment for a rip fence used with a power tool table.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Table saws, routers, and shaping tools are commonly used to cut or shape a workpiece. The workpiece is commonly a piece of wood being fed along a rip fence into a table saw or router. The rip fence may be a longitudinal block of wood, metal, or other material that is positioned parallel to the feed direction of the workpiece and at a fixed lateral distance from the cutting element. The rip fence is usually secured in position by selectively locking to a guide along the front of the tool, for example, so that the operator may feed the workpiece into the cutting element for cuts at a consistent, fixed lateral distance from the cutting element.
Others have designed devices that attach to a rip fence for guiding or supporting a workpiece. For example, one work-holding apparatus for a power tool table has a rip fence aligned parallel to the direction of work feed. The apparatus uses a track mounted to the side of the rip fence. The apparatus also has a clamping frame slidably mounted to the track against which the workpiece is clamped against the clamping frame so that an operator can feed the workpiece into the cutting element of the power tool. A sliding track slides relative to the mounted track.
In another design, a workpiece guide is dimensioned to fit over a table saw fence. The guide has an elongated inverted U-shaped body with a first leg angled inwardly to aid in a snug fit with the fence. The second leg of the body has a horizontal lip at its lower extremity which rests flat against the table top saw surface during use. A guide strip extends along the second leg. A thin workpiece is held in steady position during a cutting operation by passing the workpiece between the guide strip and the lip.